Suicide

Most people have thoughts (curiosity, fleeting or more prolonged) about suicide at one time or another.  It might be in response to something that feels insurmountable or overwhelming or as a result of an accumulation of events.  Suicide is rarely a good option and even if it feels like the only way you can relieve your pain, please talk to somebody about what is happening.  There are many services that offer telephone or email/chat options to help you work through your feelings and what has happened and how you can manage.

Below are a few conversations with people who have considered suicide or experienced the effects of a loved one who suicided.

  • This podcast interviews Nic Newling about his own suicidal ideation related to the extreme pressure he put himself under to succeed at school and the death of his teenage brother by suicide.
  • This podcast interviews Jessie Cole about the suicide of her sister and father.
  • This podcast interviews Susan Bryant, whose gastroenterologist husband suicided after suffering in silence about his own depression.

You may also be interested to read the story of Donna Thistlethwaite who attempted suicide by jumping off a bridge and survived

Below are crisis support services in Australia.  If you are in another country, google ‘crisis support service’

If you are concerned for your safety, this safety plan from Beyond Blue will give you tools to help recognise and respond to suicidal ideation.

If you want some information about how to help someone else you are concerned about (questions to ask, actions to take), check this link.